Financial Inclusion: Resources for Encore Seekers

Financial Inclusion: Resources for Encore Seekers

More than 2 billion people around the world are “unbanked” – living and working outside of the formal financial system. As a result, a number of forward-thinking organizations have begun to focus on financial inclusion(FI), a new approach to fighting global poverty that strives to bring basic financial knowledge and access to financial services to people living in poverty.

With 15 percent of older Americans reporting an interest in addressing issues of poverty, the time is ripe for FI-focused organizations to seek the help of people in their encore years, who can make significant contributions in part-time, full-time or consulting roles, and as volunteers and investors. Seasoned veterans of the financial services industry have a wealth of experience that could be put to use in microfinancing, microcredit and other FI programs, for example. But people who have worked in other fields — such as management, government, technology, consulting and the retail sector — also bring invaluable, transferable knowledge and skills.

If you’re an encore-seeker figuring out your next step, we encourage you to explore these FI resources; you’ll gain a basic understanding of the field and glean inspiration from others who have devoted their encore years to bridging the gap in financial services available to people living in poverty.

If you’re a financial institution looking to engage high-quality talent, read our collection of perspectives from leaders in the field who include encore talent in their organizations. And take some time to explore the Encore Talent Works toolkit, the go-to digital resource for tapping the growing pool of encore talent with the skills, experience and drive to improve their communities and the world.

Financial Inclusion Resources

FI Resources

Who's Who in FI

Interested in getting involved in financial inclusion? The roster of organizations involved in this work includes major foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN, large financial service companies and many smaller organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit.

Joseph James

Encore.org is grateful for the generous support of MetLife Foundation for their support of these FI resources and their sponsorship of The Purpose Prize for Financial Inclusion. Visit the MetLife Foundation website.